Check Out Michelle Kim’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Kim

Hi Michelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Panorama City and grew up in Arleta. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 90s has shaped how I’ll always view LA, being in a diverse immigrant community in the hood and my parents plugged in to the Korean church community. I’ve lived in a lot of different LA neighborhoods since then, but the valley will always be home for me.

I started violin at the age of 6. At 9 years old I was accepted into a violin professor’s studio at Cal State Northridge, so it was serious from the start, but I didn’t really decide that I wanted to pursue music professionally until I was in high school. I got a full scholarship to study music in college, and after I got my Master’s degree in Violin Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, I moved back to LA and started working as a freelance violinist. After having had the experience of living in NYC and SF, one thing I loved and appreciated so much about working in LA was the diversity of work as a violinist. I could be performing with an orchestra playing Beethoven one night, playing with a singer songwriter at the Hotel Cafe the next, and recording on a Netflix show the morning after. There was always interesting work and unique gigs. I also started my own strings-for-hire gig business doing events and weddings, which did really well.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When covid hit, like all performers I watched all my work disappear. At the time it was terrifying and stressful, but looking back I am so grateful for that time. I had dedicated my life to the violin since the age of 6, I had never had any space away from the instrument to really stop and figure out who I was outside of being a violinist. There was also a lot of abuse that I endured as a student which is infuriatingly so prevalent in the classical music community, and that time during the pandemic really gave me a chance to step away and start to heal.

It was during that time I started to pour my energy into other creative endeavors. I started training Muay Thai a few years before covid, it first started because I was curious and wanted to get in shape, but it quickly became a passion. All my time outside of violin was in the muay thai gym. I was a photography hobbyist at the time, shooting headshots for my classical music friends, and I started shooting fight photography at my muay thai gym. It was during my time away from the violin after covid that I started to put more energy into fight photography, I was so drawn to sharing the stories of the amateur and pro fighters with their training and what goes on in their fight camps.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Muay thai and classical music seem like two very different worlds on the outside, but to me they are so similar. It takes the same level of dedication, obsession, technique, discipline and creativity. You sacrifice everything and work for months, years, for a 10 minute violin audition or a 9 minute fight. You train and practice hard so you can have complete freedom of skilled movement. It’s the same back and forth dance when I spar and when I play music with someone. All the skills I developed as a violinist translate to my muay thai training, and I think in order to be a great fight photographer/videographer, you have to also train in the sport. You have to have such an intimate knowledge of the subtleties and techniques to know each fighter’s strengths, their unique style, and be able to highlight that.

As a fight videographer, I try to show the beauty in the movement and the sacrifice it takes to get to the next level. I’m more interested in the story behind the fight than the fight itself. I feel very fortunate to work with fighters like Brandol Mendoza, Daniel “D Rod” Rodriguez, and Joe Schilling. Every fighter has a unique story, and my hope is that viewers of my work see the heart and not the violence.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I never thought I would where I am now, I thought violin would always be the sole focus of my life. I feel so fortunate to have found muay thai and have the opportunity to learn an entirely new creative skill through videography. I think as creative artists one of the most valuable things you can do is to continue to cultivate an honest relationship with yourself, so that the work you do can truly be authentic to who you are today and not who you were. And that your work is a joyful expression of a part of you, and not your identity or tied to your worth. It took me a long time to figure out who I was outside of being a violinist, and through that journey my world has opened up so much more and I’ve given myself the freedom to constantly change and evolve. I know that as long as I continue to be true to myself, things will fall into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://throwhandsproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withmichellekim
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ThrowHandsProductions

Image Credits
Michelle Kim
Matt Lucas
Erika Duell